Latest news with #vulnerableyouth
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
As a family court judge, I know chronic absenteeism is a public health crisis
Every day across Kentucky, thousands of students fail to show up for school. Some miss a few days a month. Others are absent for weeks at a time. When the final tallies are made, many will have missed more than 10% of the school year. This pattern, known as chronic absenteeism, is quietly eroding the futures of our children — and we cannot afford to ignore it. Across the United States, over 8 million students are chronically absent each year. In districts serving our most vulnerable populations, that number is even higher. And while many still think of absenteeism as a discipline issue or a matter of personal responsibility, I see something else entirely. As a family court judge, I've learned that chronic absenteeism is often the first visible sign that something much deeper is wrong in a child's life. It may be illness, untreated trauma, housing insecurity or caregiving burdens at home. It may be depression, anxiety or a simple lack of transportation. These are not just educational challenges — they are public health concerns. That's why we need to reframe how we think about absenteeism. When we treat it like a public health crisis — because that's exactly what it is — we open the door to early intervention, stronger support systems and meaningful, long-term solutions. Opinion | Louisville has abandoned its most vulnerable youth while pretending to care Far too often, students who are chronically absent fall behind academically and never catch up. This disconnect from school can lead to disengagement from peers, lower self-esteem and in many cases, contact with the juvenile justice system. When children drop out, the consequences extend far beyond the classroom — they echo through our economy, our public safety systems, and our communities for generations. And we must recognize that this crisis is not hitting all children equally. Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects Black, Latino, Indigenous, low-income and disabled students. These disparities are rooted in inequities in health care access, housing, nutrition and neighborhood safety. If we are serious about addressing absenteeism, we must be equally serious about addressing the systems that allow those inequities to persist. The good news? We can change this. Opinion | JCPS chose new superintendent Brian Yearwood the right way School-based health centers, mobile mental health units, trauma-informed classrooms and strong family engagement strategies have all proven effective. Judicial diversion programs that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment can break cycles before they begin. Community-based partnerships can ensure students are surrounded by the support they need — not just to get to school, but to thrive while they're there. But to make real progress, we must stop treating absenteeism as someone else's problem. It belongs to all of us. Schools alone cannot fix it. This is a call to action for public health officials, judges, educators, faith leaders and families alike. We must ask different questions. Instead of 'Why isn't this child in school?' we need to ask, 'What's happening in this child's life that's keeping them from showing up?' That shift — from blame to understanding — can change everything. I've seen what happens when we wait too long. But I've also seen what's possible when we act early — with compassion, coordination and commitment. Every child deserves a chance to be present, to be supported and to succeed. Let's not wait until they're in my courtroom to figure that out. Agree or disagree? Submit a letter to the editor. Derwin L. Webb serves as chief judge of Family Court in Jefferson County, Kentucky. He is a former Division I athlete and the first African American male family court judge elected in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KY chronic school absences reveal a public health concern | Opinion
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
B.C. man who lured ‘vulnerable student' has community sentence upgraded to jail
The B.C. Supreme Court is seen in New Westminster, B.C., Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Richard Lam) A school support worker who sent sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old student should serve his sentence behind bars, not in the community, a B.C. judge has ruled. Gulbag Singh Hothi pleaded guilty to child luring last year and was initially handed a conditional sentence, which was appealed by Crown prosecutors. In a decision published online this month, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Andrea Ormiston agreed that allowing Hothi to serve a community sentence was 'demonstrably unfit' given the circumstances of his crime. 'He had worked with vulnerable youth for years and would have recognized he was in a position of trust, responsibility, and power,' Ormiston said, in her April 25 reasons. 'He persisted in reprehensible efforts to orchestrate a contact-sexual-offence despite the victim rebuffing his advances and reminding him of her age.' 'Highly sexualized messages' The court heard the victim was a 'vulnerable student' attending an alternative school for youths at risk of dropping out when she met Hothi in early 2023. He was 27 years old at the time. Hothi was completing his practicum for the Child and Youth Care Program at Douglas College, and was acting in the role of the victim's support worker. The two started messaging on SnapChat during the final week of his practicum. 'Shortly after this communication began, the respondent started sending the victim highly sexualized messages ranging from comments about her appearance to crude indications that he wanted to engage in sexual conduct,' Ormiston said. Hothi also invited the victim for 'dinner and drinks' at his home, which she rejected by reminding him she was just 15. The messaging continued after Hothi's practicum ended, and he eventually sent the victim an image of female genitalia that he claimed had come from another teenager who wanted to have sex with him. The court heard the victim missed several days of school, fearing another encounter with Hothi, before eventually going to police. Errors in original judgment Prosecutors argued the trial judge made a number of errors while determining Hothi's sentence, and Ormiston agreed, finding the issues were 'palpable and overriding.' Those errors included the way Hothi's position of authority was assessed as an aggravating factor. While the trial judge accepted there was an 'aspect of breach of trust' in the case, the sentencing decision suggested it was diminished because Hothi was not the victim's teacher. 'I cannot discern a logical reason to find, from the perspective of the victim, that there would have been any difference between a teacher and an educational assistant when it comes to the exploitative nature of the crime and the increased accessibility the respondent had to her in a place where she should have felt safe,' Ormiston found. The Crown also took issue with the trial judge's finding that the impact of Hothi's crime on the victim did not 'appear' to be long-lasting. 'Sexual offences against children cause significant harm that may take many years to manifest,' Ormiston wrote. 'The basis on which the court appears to distinguish the impact on this victim is not developed or supported by the record.' A number of mitigating factors were considered as well, including that Hothi was a first-time offender, had pleaded guilty, and sought conselling following his arrest. Ormiston found the length of Hothi's sentence was appropriate and gave him credit for the 7.5 months already served in the community, but ordered that he spend the remainder of his time behind bars. Jail time is necessary to give 'substantive meaning to the court's recognition that this is harmful and wrongful offending,' Ormiston said.
